LA’s $3.2B Olympic Ask and Europe’s $39B Football Cash Machine

Good morning, ! This week we’re breaking down the European football market size and growth, % of people watching sports on TV weekly , LA 2028 olympics preparations, and Chris Gronkowski succeeding into the world of hydration.

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MEDIA & SPORTS

Who’s Really Watching? Older Sports Fans Take the Lead on TV

In a subtle but significant shift, Americans over 45 now outpace their younger counterparts in weekly sports TV consumption. According to Civic Science, 27% of 45+ viewers now watch 5+ hours of sports on TV per week—up from just 17% in 2022. That’s a 10-point jump in two years.

Meanwhile, the under-45 cohort has trended in the opposite direction: declining from 29% to 26% over the same period.

This crossover matters. Networks and rights holders still bank on linear TV to monetize sports IP—but the growth is increasingly skewing older. As younger fans migrate to mobile and social platforms, the monetization gap widens: advertisers are paying for reach, but engagement is drifting elsewhere.

For investors and operators, the takeaway is clear: demographic divergence in viewership habits is reshaping media rights valuations, sponsorship ROI, and long-term planning for leagues betting on Gen Z. (More)

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INVESTOR CORNER

From Pitch to Portfolio: Oil's Playbook in European Football

Middle Eastern capital hasn’t just entered the European football chat — it’s rewritten the rulebook. Abu Dhabi (Man City), Qatar (PSG), and Saudi Arabia (Newcastle) aren’t just club owners; they’re architects of a new sports finance era. These state-backed investors combine infrastructure buildouts, multi-club networks, and soft power campaigns, while forcing regulators to invent new acronyms. The UEFA squad-cost ratio and Premier League PSR rules are a direct response to this financial muscle. Meanwhile, the football market itself has ballooned ~35% since 2018, offering a compelling growth story. The result? A high-stakes balance between ambition and solvency, with cost caps, sponsorship audits, and ownership vetting now the new normal. (More)

ENTREPRENEURS

Chris Gronkowski’s Ice-Cold Playbook

Chris Gronkowski swapped the NFL for the world of hydration and hasn’t looked back. After landing a $150K Shark Tank deal in 2017 with Mark Cuban and Alex Rodriguez, sales jumped from $80K to $3M in a year. By 2025, Ice Shaker is moving $3–5M annually, with products in 3,500+ GNC stores, Lifetime gyms, and Amazon. The brand now offers 140+ bottle variations, retailing at $25 on a $5 cost—a margin any entrepreneur would envy. With Rob Gronkowski buying out A-Rod’s stake, Ice Shaker remains a family affair, fueled by smart partnerships, product quality, and relentless marketing. In a crowded fitness market, Ice Shaker proves that execution beats hype—turning a post-NFL hustle into a profitable, enduring business. (More)

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TECH & INFRASTRUCTURE

L.A. Metro’s $3.2B Olympic Ask Still in Limbo—But $68M May Be Coming

With less than three years to go before the LA28 Olympics, L.A. Metro is still fighting for a major slice of federal infrastructure funding—$3.2B to be exact. So far, the Biden and now Trump administrations have offered zero. But Metro hasn’t backed down.

Its latest pitch? Amend eligibility rules for the DOT’s MEGA Program, prioritize funding for National Special Security Events (like the Games), and revive the defunct Transportation Assistance for Olympic Cities Act.

So far, it’s worked—sort of. A $68M earmark for LA28 mobility projects made it into the Senate’s latest THUD appropriations bill. Another $78M is slated for World Cup transit infrastructure. Whether these allocations survive the budget battle on Capitol Hill remains unclear.

Why it matters: LA28’s success depends not just on venue readiness, but also on the region’s ability to move millions of fans and athletes efficiently. Metro’s persistence signals how much Olympic-scale events now hinge on federal transport strategy—or lack thereof. (More)

eSPORTS

Esports World Cup 2025: ML:BB Takes the Crown

Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (ML:BB) is no longer the underdog—it’s the king. With 50.3M hours watched  in the Esports World Cup 2025 (+72.6% YoY), it dwarfed League of Legends (18.1M) and PUBG Mobile (17.2M). The real shockwave came from Street Fighter, surging +130%, signaling that fighting games are punching above their weight in esports. PUBG Mobile also nearly doubled (+91.6%), riding the momentum of mobile-first audiences. Not every title thrived: Dota 2 slumped –42.2%, a stark reminder that legacy doesn’t guarantee loyalty. The debut of Valorant (8.3M) and the launch of ML:BB Female (3.8M) added fresh momentum, proving esports’ diversifying appeal. The takeaway: esports is tilting mobile, scaling fast, and finding new audiences at every turn. (More)

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